virtual assistance Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Denise Riches

Steps for Hosting a Virtual Event

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve always enjoyed planning events. From get-togethers with friends to my kids’ birthday parties and family barbecues, I’ve always felt a bit of a buzz. Many virtual assistants are admin-based and just love the planning stages – I am no exception. There’s something to be said about planning a virtual event: it’s just as fun!

I’ve been lucky enough to help with several virtual events that my clients have hosted and I’ve come up with a checklist (I offer a PDF version at the end of this post) that would be useful to anyone planning to host a virtual event of their own.

Planning Stages

Always choose the date of your virtual event and plan backwards, ensuring you have PLENTY of time for marketing your event (I’d say at LEAST two months, if possible).

How far in advance you need to start planning depends on the type of event you’re looking at hosting. If you are hosting a summit that may require a series of speakers on a particular subject, you will likely need to start at least 6 months prior, earlier if possible. Consider that research will need to be done on the speakers, sending out initial emails, follow-up emails, arranging virtual interviews to allow you to get to know one another beforehand, etc.

If you are including several speakers, you’ll need to write introduction emails and follow-up emails to send to them. Hiring a virtual assistant to assist with this huge task will save you TONS of time.

If you are holding a webinar or challenge, your job is much simpler, but it still requires a lot of moving parts:

Writing copy for and designing a sign-up/registration page
How attendees will be separated in your mailing list (tagged or own list?)
How attendees can report issues with the process
Writing and scheduling automated emails

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Emails to Consider

We are operating on the assumption that you have an established email list going into this, and there will be several emails to send.

I’m sure at one time or another, you’ve signed up for a webinar or challenge, and you received several reminder emails in the process. Yours will be no different.

You will need an initial thank you/confirmation email (Thanks for signing up!), reminder emails, event details emails and feedback emails. Don’t worry, I list these in the PDF download included at the bottom of this post.

Event Materials

This largely consists of the promotional part of the project, which includes social media images and captions, developing an event-specific hashtag if possible, creating a workbook or free download for attendees to take notes, and creating an event agenda or guide, especially helpful for letting attendees know what’s in store.

The majority of these materials can be created in Canva, which allows for branding and downloading in many formats.

The Main Event

Some folks use StreamYard or Zoom for their events, regardless of where you’re hosting your event from, make sure you are able to record it. There will be several attendees that won’t show (it’s not a reflection of your event, or even you! Sometimes, unexpected things happen, or people expect there to be a recording because they know they can’t particpate live). Sending attendees a recording gives you another opportunity to connect and present your call-to-action – a crucial part.

After the Event

There are some housekeeping tasks, just like any in-person event. You may need to edit the recording before uploading it to a platform you can link to in your follow-up email.

Sending your attendees a survey after the event is a terrific way to gain feedback for future events. It helps to fine-tune your event. If your event was live, fixing any bugs will streamline future events, and allow you to possibly turn your event into a paid, evergreen course later on.

Pay close attention to the feedback you receive, it’s only going to make your next virtual event that much better.

Here’s a handy checklist for you to download, it contains all the steps above in an easy-to-digest format. Enjoy!

Hiring a virtual assistant to help with your virtual event will make it a complete breeze! Book a free consultation call with me!

VA Superpower: Research

One of the first key things I learned when I became a virtual assistant in 2016 was, “people will pay you to do things you love to do because they either don’t like the task or they just don’t have time to do it themselves“.

This fact blew my mind back then, and it still does today.

When my clients ask me to take on a research project, I crack my knuckles and get ready for some fun, because it’s something that I love to do. And not even just for clients, but also for myself. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to believe someone wouldn’t like to do that themselves… but I get it.

Because there are tasks I don’t enjoy doing either (don’t ask me to chase invoices, for example!).

Types of Research Projects I’ve Done

So, you may be wondering what types of things I’ve been asked to research.

One of my first projects was to research a Canadian holiday to Banff, Alberta for a U.K. client. She wanted to travel to Canada with her husband, and wanted to know the best time of year to go, what types of wildlife were in the area, sites to see, restaurants to try, and gas stations that were close to their hotel (I researched hotels, too). It was an epic opportunity to brag about Canada and all we have to offer (and of course, you cannot come to Canada and NOT have a Tim Horton’s coffee!).

Another client wanted to share inspiring quotes from well-known people, so that I could recreate those quotes to images in Canva (another one of my favourite tasks). There were, of course, stipulations with those quotes. They needed to relate to her coaching business, and spark some deep thoughts.

I’ve also spent time researching days of the year for clients. Did you know that just about every day is a special day for something? It’s true – check out Days of The Year. I take these dates, and plan out a month of social media posts, with related images and text. This is definitely a fun project!

Most recently, I’ve been working with a spa and wellness consultant who works with luxury, five-star hotels. Not only do I wish I was getting massages and spa treatments at these gorgeous locations, but it’s so interesting to learn about other parts of the world.

In Conclusion

Whether it’s where to go for a vacation, or looking for types of content to share on your social media channels, I’m happy to take on those research projects – which will, of course, tick one more thing off your to-do list, allowing you more time to focus on what you do best!

A more in-depth method of figuring out what you can outsource is my free VA Delegation Worksheet, which you can download here.

My job is to make sure that the job gets done. Let’s book a free consultation call and discuss how, together, we can move your business forward.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Click here to download your copy of 10 Things You Can Outsource Now.

Productivity Tools

With so many different productivity tools to choose from these days, how do you know which one is right for you?

It’s a good idea to check out features on the website before you give them a go, and definitely check out reviews. It might also be helpful to check with colleagues to see what they use.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few, and here are some of my thoughts:

Slack

This one integrates with Toggl (a time-tracking app). It also allows you to communicate with the team as a whole, or just with one team member.

To cut down on emails and file space, Slack (and most other tools, as well) allows for messaging and file uploads so that everything your team needs is in one central location.

Asana

Much like Slack, Asana allows for direct communication directly within the app itself and allows for file uploads. By removing the email back-and-forth, team members can work together more efficiently.

What I don’t like about this particular tool is that the tabs for conversations, files and tasks are a bit all over the place. It could also be that I don’t use it often enough 🙂

Trello

Trello is one of my favourite tools. It also integrates with Toggl, and allows for tagging specific team members and file uploads. I also like the boards and cards can be shared with specific people. This tool is also customizable with colours and backgrounds.

The ability to set deadlines ensures that the whole team can see what is going on with each task, similar to the above-mentioned tools.

Todoist

This is the ultimate to-do list. Todoist integrates with your digital calendar, and sets itself up as its own calendar with your digital calendar, allowing you to toggle it off and on.

One word of caution though, if you aren’t careful, it could integrate twice into your digital calendar, and cause a bit of a headache until you sort it out. Plus, in order to actually tick tasks off the list, you need to access the web version.

By ticking those items off, you collect points which can earn you a period of premium Todoist use.

Virtual Assistant

Ha – I’m sure you saw this one coming! A virtual assistant is a great productivity tool. I save my clients time and money by taking tasks off their plates.

I help with a variety of tasks: e-newsletter setup and publishing, blog post writing and formatting, social media image creation, and social media scheduling.

Book a free consultation call with me and let’s discuss how I can save you more time in your week.

Resources to Help You Become a VA

Updated October 2020.

I am often asked about my freelance career as a virtual assistant. I went from a 15-year job in retail to walking away to begin my own business. No one expected that from me – an assumed ‘lifer’.

I love just about everything about my job. I love the people I get to work with. I love the colleagues I get to talk to and ask for advice from. I love the freedoms it’s afforded me. Overall, I just feel so fortunate. (more…)

VA Etiquette

Recently, I was in a situation that made me feel bad for folks who need virtual assistance.

I think there’s a certain etiquette involved in any sort of business situation. If you’re asked a specific question, give the answer to that question. (more…)